Tascam 424 mk2 hookup help, please

[RocketScience]

Wow Very cool site!!! I wish I would have known about this place several months ago. Well, I just dug my 424mk2 out of the closet and I'm attempting to hook it up to record a short demo.

So, I have a few questions for all you portastudio guys! I was wondering if there was a way to connect a pair of monitors, and a headphone amp, and still have a mixdown deck connected. -- is there a way to use the TAPE OUTPUTS 1-4 on the rear panel to hookup a que mix to the headphone amp?

or should I just connect the headphone amp to the to the LINE OUTPUT, and re-patch when I'm ready to mixdown?

Which leads me to my last question of the day, what's the easiest way to hookup a reverb or delay effect box. I read in the manual the page on "How to Connect Your Effect Devices" But, I'm just wondering if that's the easiest way, or if anyone here has come up with other ways to hookup their effects to the 424 mk2.

Sorry for the lengthy questions, I guess I'm a little bit excited about using my portastudio again, but I feel totally lost. Cheers everyone!

 

[t_ebrontosaurus]

Wow Very cool site!!! I wish I would have known about this place several months ago. Well, I just dug my 424mk2 out of the closet and I'm attempting to hook it up to record a short demo.

So, I have a few questions for all you portastudio guys! I was wondering if there was a way to connect a pair of monitors, and a headphone amp, and still have a mixdown deck connected. -- is there a way to use the TAPE OUTPUTS 1-4 on the rear panel to hookup a que mix to the headphone amp?

or should I just connect the headphone amp to the to the LINE OUTPUT, and re-patch when I'm ready to mixdown?

Which leads me to my last question of the day, what's the easiest way to hookup a reverb or delay effect box. I read in the manual the page on "How to Connect Your Effect Devices" But, I'm just wondering if that's the easiest way, or if anyone here has come up with other ways to hookup their effects to the 424 mk2.

Sorry for the lengthy questions, I guess I'm a little bit excited about using my portastudio again, but I feel totally lost. Cheers everyone!

I own a 488 and i havent used it in a while... but they look similar.

here are some simple suggestions that have helped me in the past(a few adapters... beware):

_Monitors I just used the monitor outs with rca to 1/4" adaptors
_Headphones I used either a TRS cable or a (less appetizing) rca to 1/8" adapter with a 1/8" to 1/4" adapter to top it off
I never used tape outs becasue once you have more than two tracks.. you cant hear everythign else unless you send all 4 into a mixer then to headphone amp.
_ for Effects i always found the effect sends extremely convenient. send the signal to the input of the effects and then from effects out patch back into channels 5/6 and 7/8
you could also use TRS cables for effects on any channels that have inserts.

hopefully that helps a bit... I havent used my 488 in a while, hopefully I remembered the effects returns correct.

All these machines are fun to work with. I miss the 488.. but im loving the 246
Have fun!

noah

 

[A Reel Person]

Okay,... pardon me for not reading the previous response, but...

I'd say to hook the headphone amp to the "Monitor Out" jacks, while leaving your mixdown deck hooked to the "Line Out" jacks, and that's a pretty standard setup.

 

[DigitalSmigital]

The headphone amp can be hooked up using monitor out as reel says, or using the headphone out on the front of the unit, or the line outs. But why would you want a headphone amp AND a monitor at the same time? Do you have a seperate control room for the monitors?

Easiest way to use fx is before input, like this. guitar out>fx box>TASCAM. But you have the least amount of control that way.

Best way to use fx is after recording, using effects send>fx box>effects return>main mix.

 

[RocketScience]

Thank you for all the help! I'm really enjoying getting reacquainted with the 424 mkII, its really a fun recorder.

So, if I were to connect the headphone amp to the MONITOR OUT, and the Mixdown deck to the LINE OUT, where do I plug the Monitor speakers. I'm guessing that I could just unplug the headphone amp, when I'm finished recording?

What about plugging the headphone amp into the HEADPHONE JACK on front. Would that work, if I maybe used a Y-cable, and plugged the Stereo end into the Tascam headphone jack and then the two Mono cables into the Headphone amp. Could that possibly work, or is that not a good idea?

Also, I'm trying to connect a Compressor, and a reverb into the 424. What's the best way to do that, should I just use the EFFECTS SEND 1 & 2?
Thanks so much for all the help